Developing a new way of utilising ‘waste’ and spread awareness of the rising problem - Water Hyacinth!
Long description
Problem: The MulaMutha river in Pune, India is yearly infested by water hyacinth. This weed rapidly spreads across 30kms in three rivers of Pune city itself. This happens because untreated domestic and small industrial waste is dumped into the river. Water Hyacinth is an invasive aquatic weed posing ecological and biological problems. It grows rapidly and chokes water bodies. This prevents sunlight to reach underwater, decreases oxygen, kills aquatic plants and destroys the ecosystem. This problem is faced by countries worldwide.
Approach:
- Reduce the spreading of invasive weeds
- Use ‘Natural Waste’ as an alternative material
- Improve Local Economy
At GoDoGood, we use natural-waste streams to create alternative materials for packaging and sustainable development. By adding value to the waste source, we incentivise the locals to collect hyacinth. We promote regional jobs by locally manufacturing the product and close the supply chain. In our search to create an alternative material and reduce carbon footprint, we use this weed to create suede-like paper, fibreboard and interior products.
Process: Hyacinth stem is fibrous and filled with water content. Drying these stems is a time consuming, energy-intensive task. We developed an efficient method: Collect weed < Clean < Soak in water < Steam < Mix into a paste < Mould into product
End Life: The product shelf life is durable for years and can biodegrade in soil within months.
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